A new surveillance device has been developed that has the potential to stop drones and Google Glass wearers from hacking into one’s Wi-Fi network. Cyborg Unplug works by sending de-authentication signals to unwanted monitoring or spying devices.

The device is the size
of a computer adaptor, so it can be transported anywhere and can
be plugged into any mains socket. Once the Cyborg Unplug detects
an unwanted appliance, it alerts the owner of the Wi-Fi network
with a flashing light, or a sound through speakers, while it can
also send a text message to the user’s cell phone.

The product, which was developed by programmer Julian Oliver,
also kicks off devices trying to access the wireless network. He
hopes he will begin taking orders for the device at the end of
the month.

“Basically it’s a wireless defense shield for your home or
place of work,” Oliver says. “The intent is to counter a
growing and tangibly troubling emergence of wirelessly capable
devices that are used and abused for surveillance and
voyeurism,” Wired.com reported him as saying.

Oliver, who lives in Berlin, came up with the idea in the summer,
after a friend complained that someone who was wearing a Google
Glass device had potentially uploaded content from an exhibition
he had put on. He managed to detect how the device had accessed
the Wi-Fi connection and wrote a free program about how to
prevent this in the future.

Such was its popularity that he became inundated with requests
from establishments as varied as сasinos to restaurants who were
wondering how they could use his program. In the end he decided
to develop a device himself, which could help secure their
wireless networks from unwanted devices.

“The dominant enthusiasts were women,” says Oliver.
“They were concerned about guys at nightclubs taking a little
bit home for later, or guys across from them on the train looking
them up and down. Even if they didn’t know if the device was
recording, they felt threatened by its presence.”

There are two devices being offered. A cheaper one just alerts
the owner that their wireless network is being compromised
through a flashing light. There is also a more developed model,
which warns of intrusion through a flashing light, an audible
noise through a computer’s speaker and also a text message to the
owner’s mobile phone.

The product did not cost Oliver much to build and he was able to
come across the parts relatively easily.

“It’s just modified router hardware, but instead of allowing
devices to get to the internet, it does precisely the
opposite,” he says.

The product also offers an “All Out Mode,” which will
disconnect any surveillance device within its vicinity. However,
the company advises against this, stating, “Please note that
this [All Out] mode may not be legal within your jurisdiction. We
take no responsibility for the trouble you get yourself into if
you choose to deploy your Cyborg Unplug in this mode.”

The owner of a Cyborg Unplug can select the devices they choose
to block, which will be automatically disconnected and will not
disrupt any untargeted signals.